Various
discussions were held on how to improve political governance in Sierra Leone.
These discussions and the papers that were subsequently released highlighted the shortcomings of
the present political landscape and suggested various solutions to the current
problems.

Ethnic
Politics: A Growing Problem

A
problem plaguing politics in Sierra Leone - and most other post-colonial states for that matter - is ethnic group loyalties which encroach into the political realm. Although ethnicity is not perceived as particularly salient in Sierra Leone
when compared to its other African counterparts, it does in fact play a large
and often unseen role.

Sierra
Leone is cited as being the 15th most ethno-linguistically diverse
country in the world, being comprised of about 18 different ethnic and
linguistic groups in a population of only 6 million. This political diversity, although beneficial for creating of a diverse civil society, is often a hindrance in the creation of non-partisan politics.

For example, studies show that in the 2007
Presidential elections, 86%
of Sierra Leoneans claimed they voted for the political candidate of their
own ethnic group. The problem associated with this ethnic-based voting is that
it can prevent a more qualified candidate from being elected as long as another
candidate has a larger ethnic support base, which practically eliminates the success of any independent and non-ethnically aligned candidate.

Two
common concerns about the role of diversity in development are: one, that
ethnic divisions interfere with local cooperation and the ability to produce public goods; and two,
that ethnicity-based politics encourage clientelism, corruption and even
violence in governance. Looking across
countries, research evidence suggests that ethnic fractionalization can slow
economic growth by making it difficult for people to agree on productive public
policies by encouraging corruption, by impeding people’s ability to sanction
low performing members of ethnic groups other than their own, and by
encouraging clientelist as opposed to public goods-based appeals during
campaigns. While Sierra Leone does not conform to these stereotypes of poor
cooperation across ethnic lines, the country does face lingering risks posed by
the salience of ethnic identity in politics.

In
essence, ethnic divisions can impede collaboration between various ethnic groups and
can encourage clienelism, corruption, violence, and economic deterioration. Although
these are not a significant problem at the moment, if ethnic-based voting
continues, then it could become problematic.

During
my most recent trip to Sierra Leone I was told that the North (specifically the city of Makeni) was home to more infrastructure improvement and development projects
due to the fact that Sierra Leone’s current President, Earnest Bai Koroma, is
from Makeni. So what can be done to combat these negative aspects of Sierra Leonean
politics?

Implement
an Audit Lottery and Politician Score Cards

Various
suggestions were made at the conference as to how politics can become more non-partisan and fair. One
such suggestion was to audit politicians through score cards and disseminate the
results via mass media.

The
government audit could either be performed by civil society organizations (CSOs) or
NGOs and would involve reporting on how public funds are being spent and what
the politicians have done since being elected to office. This would hold politicians
accountable to the political platforms upon which they ran.

Another
suggestion was to have a politician score card which would score MPs on their
performance, actions, attendance to meetings, spending, etc. in hopes to once
again hold politicians (more) accountable to their constituency. NGOs or CSOs could
then hold workshops and information sessions to explain the results, which
would also be announced through mass media, such as on the radio, which many Sierra
Leoneans have access to regardless of their location and income.

Information
regarding politicians’ performance should be easily accessible and
understandable to the general Sierra Leonean populace given the many languages
and widespread illiteracy. Although these ideas would take time, dedication and hard-working individuals to create and implement, I believe they would positively
influence the national government performance.

If
CSOs were to create these scorecards, do the tracking and data gathering, and
collaborate in disseminating the information, it would be a constructive way
for civil society to be a part of their politics and to feel more empowered in
a government that far too often neglects their needs.

These ideas, if
implemented, would have the potential to encourage equal development across provincial,
linguistic, generational, and ethnic lines and thereby begin to transform
national politics all the while empowering the average citizen and encouraging them to
take part in the future development of their country.

0
comments:

Post a Comment

Hello there! Thanks for reading my blog and leaving a comment! I moderate and approve all comments just to make sure they aren't spam, because let's face it, we get enough spam in our lives as it is. So as long as you're a human being, you should see your comment up here in a few hours along with a response. Cheers!

WELCOME TO SAID BY RED

This blog is meant to record and share my personal experiences, ramblings, emotions, and anecdotes as I serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ngatt, Adamawa. Read more in the 'About' section.

If you have any questions or comments for me, either post them here or email me at karenkilberg[at]saidbyred[dot]com and feel free to follow me on Twitter @karenkilberg.

BIENVENUE AU CAMEROUN!

Cameroon is called 'Africa in Miniature' due to its diversity of languages, cultures, and geographies. I live in Ngatt (by the big lake), in the Adamawa region - the transitional zone of Cameroon and the first region of the Grand North.

DISCLAIMER

In no way does this blog represent the views of the United States Government, Peace Corps, the Republic of Cameroon, or any other person or organization mentioned herein.

On the legal side of things: all images, videos, and ideas that are used here or that inspire me will be attributed to their rightful owner. All things not credited are my own. That goes for photos, ideas, videos etc.